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Operation cue was the name given

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that about a test in one nine hundred fifty
five designed to explore the effects of

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small nuclear weapons upon buildings
towers and equipment of many kinds.

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The nuclear device used was comparatively
small it had an explosive force of thirty

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killer tons equivalent to
thirty thousand tons of T.N.T.

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Whereas some modern thermonuclear weapons
are in the twenty make a ton range twenty

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million tons more than six hundred times
as powerful as a bomb shown here with a

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much wider radius of
destruction in this test.

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Many of the structures damaged by the
thirty killer time bomb were approximately

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one mile from ground zero
with a twenty megaton blast

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that probably would be obliterated comparable
damage would occur to a distance of

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at least eight and a half or nine
miles. Therefore while aberration Q.

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Was valuable for research
and test purposes.

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It does not reflect the full severity of
today's larger thermonuclear weapons where

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there are associated fallout hazard.

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The atomic energy commission no matter Tax
Act covered the story about a program

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to test the effect of an atomic

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that upon the things
we use every day after

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the power. I wanted to operation to whom.

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An hour after the average the average
Iraqi civil defense headquarters

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a day before the explosion
was scheduled to take place

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and checked in once with an
official far briefing on past.

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To give me a perspective of the entire
test layout a member of the civil defense

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that showed me a carefully prepared model
of the site he explained the scope of the

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path and the detail care with
which it had been planned.

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We begin with the question of shelter for
shelter might save the lives of those far

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enough from ground zero.

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But what kinds of shelter are effective
several types of to be tested from

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elaborate industrial shelters

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or box like family shelter in
the corner room of a basement.

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In this frame house without a basement
for the seven hundred foot line.

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We want to test a bathroom shelter
built of reinforced concrete.

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The entrance door

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and outside window covering
are designed to resist blast.

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Loss of power may be one of the biggest
problems after an attack power poles power

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lines cold transformers

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and complete substations are to be
tested by the Edison Institute.

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We hope to learn the answers
to these questions.

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How will they withstand this blast. How
long will it take to make repairs.

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How soon can service be reestablished
one complete transformer

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substation has been erected
relatively close to the shuttle

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or a second substation

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and power lines have been placed at a
much greater distance from the time.

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Our

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two kinds of radio towers are to be tested
one tower is self-supporting without guy

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wires and the other has supporting
cables both types are very common.

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Nearby a complete radio transmitter will
actually broadcast from tape before the

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shot to be picked up by
radios in the test houses.

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Both liquefied petroleum

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and natural gas facilities will be
tested our questions will the fittings

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and connections stand the test will
be fires all equipment is installed

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and checked by experts from
the LP Gas Association

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and the American Gas Association.

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This is an eighteen thousand gallon
supply tank partially filled with propane

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and complete with the pipes here awaiting
storage house and delivery platform

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that directed on the test site.

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I was eager to learn all I could about
their talk of how to be part of five types

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or to be exposed to the blast and
heat of this atomic explosion.

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First a single story frame Rambler without
basement built on a concrete slab second

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a two storey masonry home with a basement
constructed of brick backed with four in

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cinder block house of eight inch concrete
blocks reinforced with steel front is

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a single storey Rambler made of
precast lightweight concrete walls

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and roof panels are joined by steel
lugs at a thirty five hundred foot line

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is a house similar to one previously
tested in one thousand nine hundred fifty

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but the units I'm provides additional
strain at a cost increase of approximately

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ten percent that's the real
purpose of testing these houses.

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To find their weak point the
cooperation of the furniture

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and appliances industry asshole
furnishings run Starlin hard to manage

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and damage were supplied
by private industry

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interior home furnishings also
donated by and history but complete.

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In every detail

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textiles

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and synthetic fabrics
were also to be kept rows

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of mannequins are set up in the open
facing the blast each item of clothing

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and each color has been carefully selected

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as a mother and housewife.

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I was particularly interested
in the food test program a test

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that included canned

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and packaged foods some

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foods are to be tested in the
house stored in the usual way.

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Other foods including fresh meat butter

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and similar perishables are to be tested
just below the level of the ground at

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three positions along the main test line.

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This will expose the food to high intensity
radiation without risking destruction

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of the containers. Test items include
sterilize foods packaged in cartons metal

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and glass. All will be exposed.

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According to plan to give
us the most information.

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The night of the actual explosion
rather early in the morning.

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Finally came on the
television equipment position

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of. Daughters commentators military

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and civil defense observers had one purpose
to study the result of this explosion

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at a position a mile forward from media
Hill the civil defense shield exercise

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group had assembled with their equipment

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small group of civil defense volunteers
were to occupy a trench relatively close to

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Ground Zero on media hill where I remained
there was talk of a last minute briefing

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and more weight

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on the silent desert the
test objects waited.

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Twenty four hours elapsed before we
were permitted to do it firsthand.

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And he's out of the experiment.

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This is what remained of the masonry house

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that was not reinforced.

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This is a house constructed the reinforced
concrete blocks after the explosion.

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Although the redesigned two story frame
house was severely damaged the structural

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improvements had strengthened
its resistance considerably.

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The basement shelter it offered
some degree of protection.

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The reinforced bathroom shelter was standing
intact beneath the ruins of the house.

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So this type also offered
some degree of protection.

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The upper section of one on guide radio
tower collapsed from the tremendous force

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of the blast the guide to tell where it
was likely twisted by a power pole which

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fell across one of the guy wires within the
concrete radio House equipment had been

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shaken up.

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But as soon as power was restored the
transmitter resumed broadcasting the eighteen

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thousand gallon tank of liquefied
petroleum gas was undamaged.

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The connections were intact. The waiting

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and storage house was
scattered across the desert.

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But the consumer sized tanks
were on high and power lines

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and Transformers suffered some damage

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but most of the power poles were
still standing or could be repaired.

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The power substation was not seriously
harmed Medicine Institute at.

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Protested and from the
station to the Operative.

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Cases the goods were taken
away for laboratory to.

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Attack Too much less the need for
the pattern of the strength of

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the blast hardened faded the
outer layer of the stacks.

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During this activity the mask eating group
had been provided the test observers.

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These cams could have been
salvaged from demolished buildings

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and used for preparing meat.

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As the people eating I realized

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that mass feeding would be an
important job for civil defense.

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I took a last look at the debris and
devastation. This time it was only a test.

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A well planned test not a real attack.

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It was a test of the things
we use in everyday life.

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Time weapons would result
in much greater damage area

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but many lessons were
learned from this test

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that have affected things planning
factors must be considered for the

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survival of our family our
nation in the nuclear age.